


Meeting

by Sleepy_fan



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Brother/Brother Incest, Father/Son Incest, M/M, Modern AU, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-23 15:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11992827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepy_fan/pseuds/Sleepy_fan
Summary: Roommates Ezio, Desmond and Connor get invited to a fancy soulmate meeting party that lasts a week. Will they meet their soulmates?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Conhayth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Conhayth/gifts).



Connor made sure to call Desmond as he headed home - the young veterinarian had just gotten paid today, and he knew that the other's current part-time job should have just finished up about ten minutes ago. However, he got the other's voice message instead, so the dark haired young man left a message, saying "Hey, it's Connor - just finished my shift at the clinic and I was wondering if you needed a lift - I'm going to get food for us for the week, as I got paid today. Text or call me if you need anything - I'm about to ask Ezio if he needs something."

Connor ended the call and was about to text Ezio - who was working under a fashion designer as a clothing repair person - when Desmond called him back. He answered the phone and Desmond hurriedly apologized "Hey, Connor. Sorry about not picking up - I heard my phone go off and dropped it while trying to get it out of my pockets and by the time I grabbed it... Well you had left a phone message. I'd appreciate a pick up - and Ezio texted me earlier, saying that he's going to be a half-hour late coming out of work. Apparently one of the models had a complete fit about the fact that they were served cucumber sandwiches with the skin on, rather than with it off and they ripped their outfit nearly to pieces because of it."

"That's awful! We'll have to make him something nice for dinner - as well as pick up some chocolate for him. I have a guess that Pat was the one who caused such a fuss, from what he's told us about them." Connor responded as he walked over to his car. "I'm about to start driving - I'll pick you up at the usual place, yeah?"

"Yep, sounds good to me! By the way - I overheard the boss and my supervisor talking - this might turn into a permanent position for me. I hope it does - I like working here." Desmond cheerfully revealed "And they might increase my hours to full time - although I might get stuck with the swing shift for a while, if they do. Still, despite the fact that I'm working at this pretentious country club, it's nice to work in a bar again - and sometimes the patrons tip  _ really _ well. Thanks for asking your boss to recommend that I work here - it's a lot nicer than Bad Weather ever was."

"Not a problem, Des. I'll be over there in about twenty minutes - traffic's pretty light, surprisingly enough." Connor responded "See you then - gotta hang up, unless you want me to put you on speaker?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I've got my sketchbook." Desmond responded cheerfully.

"Alright. See you in a bit." Connor answered before hanging up and starting his car, heading to where Desmond was waiting for him - the entrance to the country club.

~

Traffic was remarkably light - and Connor was able to get over to Desmond five minutes sooner than he had thought- and he texted the other that he was there as he drove closer to where Desmond was sitting, to avoid startling his friend. The three of them had met in college - where they had become roommates and had become fast friends. They had all finished their degrees at the same time - and as their jobs had all been in roughly the same part of the same city, the three of them had decided to stay together as roommates - occasionally they were teasingly asked who was soul mates with who - none of that was true. The three of them were simply very good friends- and while it wasn't  _ discouraged _ to date someone who wasn't your soul mate, none of the three of them were interested in the others like that... Desmond did share Connor's celebrity crushes on older guys - particularly those who were a bit growly and commanding and ...

He shook himself mentally as Desmond walked over to him, getting into the front passenger seat and grinned over at him "Hey - traffic is  _ great _ today. Let's go to that grocery near that little restaurant that Ezio loves - we could get that cream and sausage soup that he loves so much, as he just texted me again - I told him that you were driving which is why he didn't text you too - it's gonna take him another hour for him to finish up the project that he got dragged into - apparently several of the models decided to go on a rampage. Luckily, Â he gets paid for the extra hours, but still it's not something that he was looking forwards to doing today - especially since it's Friday, and Ezio was really looking forward to the finale of Grimm."

"... Oh, that's right - we were going to watch that tonight together - but since he's not going to make it, I think that we shouldn't watch it either - it'll be uploaded onto Netlu on Sunday, and as we've got an account with them, we'll be able to watch it then." Connor responded as he drove to the grocery store that Desmond had mentioned. "So how was your day today?"

"Apart from the news that I might be hired full time today? Everything seemed to go wrong today - but in like... Minor, annoying ways but still... Like I started my shift on time, but there were a half dozen customers waiting for me to make them drinks but  _ everything _ was dirty! And it just sort of... Snowballed from there." Desmond responded, sighing softly, shaking his head a little. He explained what else had gone wrong - though his customers had been particularly generous today, which was a bonus. He finished with "enough of my complaining - how did your day go?"

"Mrs. Jensen came in with her three cats again. She also brought along her nephew's rabbit. The poor creature was nearly terrified to death." Connor grimaced as he carefully drove through the grocery store's parking lot, finding a good spot to park.

The two of them split up in the grocery store, to halve the time that it took to get everything that they needed. They met up at the self-checkout stands once they had gotten everything, and Desmond remarked "So why did she bring them in this time?"

She was convinced that they were all quite sick. All four of them were fine, but she insisted that the head of the clinic check them over again, as she's apparently decided that I don't know what I'm doing." Connor grumbled, scowling a little "They did check the animals over, and the pets were all fine, like I had previously found."

"That sucks - she's a frequent customer, isn't she? I've met her soul mate - or at least someone who she's with a lot. Thomas is his name I think. He drinks heavily, and I don't blame him. She's a nightmarish version of a Type A." Desmond commiserated, a small frown appearing on his face as they loaded the groceries up and the two of them headed back to their apartment.

"Yes, she is. Mrs. Jensen is also quite the generous donor, in regards to the program that the clinic I work for participates in, so all of us have been told to tolerate her... Eccentric nature." They were most of the way back to their apartment when he asked "Did you get the noodle dishes at the little restaurant that we had talked about getting food from? I forgot to do so..." He'd rather not turn around and go all the way back, but it sounded  _ wonderful _ for dinner, and it would be a good surprise for Ezio.

"Yep, I grabbed the food - enough for all three of us." Desmond responded "I put the food in the trunk as it smelled  _ so _ good I was worried I might try to sneak some as I haven't had much to eat - I was barely able to have  _ half _ of my lunch break."

Connor frowned, a concerned expression appearing on his face "You know that I keep water bottles and snack food in the car, in case we get stuck somewhere and need to eat - there's something in this compartment here, you should eat, as we've got to go all the way up to our apartment and put everything away before we can eat."

"... Alright. I kinda forgot that you did that. Thanks." Desmond responded, a small smile appearing on his face. He was truly lucky that he and Ezio had found Connor when they had - the fact that the kind and warm young man had come into their lives when they had. The two of them had fled from the brotherhood together when they were sixteen and hadn't looked back. They had gone to college on cobbled together scholarships and whatever work that they could find. Connor had come into their lives when they had been busiest, and the calm civilian had carefully, but firmly made them take care of themselves. Desmond worried what might happen if the Brotherhood - or god forbid the  _ Templars _ find out that there were a pair of runaway half-trained Assassins with no back up in a major city... But mostly they worried what would happen to Connor - who was stronger than he entirely understood, and quite possibly had second sight as well... But had no idea what it meant or what it could be used for. The young man continued to brood as the two of them made their way up to their apartment, as his thoughts continued to churn unpleasantly.

If they were found by either faction - Desmond had no doubt that all three of them would be dragged from the lives that they currently lead and Connor didn't deserve that. He and Ezio had stayed for far too long in this city as it was but... It was so  _ easy _ to settle down here, and it was wonderful not having to move constantly - although when he was younger, the wanderlust had kept his and Ezio's feet itchy for the wonderful expanse of the outdoors...

Perhaps he was just being paranoid - they had gone this long without being seen, and as long as neither he nor Ezio bought something along the lines of a car (or a motorcycle- as much as Desmond  _ desperately _ wanted one) they should be able to continue to stay under the radar... But there was the ever present worry that someone linked to the life that he and Ezio had fled from would somehow find them and then everything would be over... Part of him wondered if it would be best for he and Ezio to leave soon - as both of them had managed to save up rather quite a bit of money, and as both of them had managed to avoid having to take out student loans it wasn't as if they strictly needed steady,  _ legal _ jobs in order to survive but... Leaving Connor so abruptly wouldn't be fair... Perhaps they could talk him into taking a couple of months off to go backpacking across the US? That sounded like quite a bit of fun and something that they'd be able to talk Connor into - as he knew that Connor enjoyed the outdoors as much as the two of them did.

"Are you alright, Desmond? You seem to be a little... Spaced out." Connor asked, gently shaking Desmond out of his train of thought.

"Oh, it's just - they're saying that this summer is going to be  _ really _ hot and I... I was kind of thinking that it would be fun to go backpacking somewhere cooler - like say hiking a large stretch of the Appalachian trail in the Smokies or something like that..." Desmond not quite lied.

"Hmm... That'd take some doing... But that does sound like quite a bit of fun. It'll take some planning and we'd have to talk to Ezio about it first. Keep the pasta warm - Ezio just texted me, saying that he managed to finish sooner than he thought he would and needs pick up. Do you want to come with me?" Connor responded, dark brown eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.

"I'll finish up putting away the last of the groceries - as well as set up for dinner." Desmond answered.

Connor nodded in understanding and headed off to go get Ezio "I'll also be sure to grab the mail on the way out."

"Alright - make sure to chuck any ads for credit cards if they're addressed to me. I have no idea as to why they still keep sending me stuff - I always tell them to take me off their lists, but it never seems to happen." Â Desmond grumbled, scowling a little. Credit cards were an easily tracked method of payment - and repaying was difficult depending on how much one spent at a time.

~

Connor made sure to text Ezio as soon as he was close to the others workplace - as like Desmond, the other tended to startle, if a car came up on them and they were unaware that said car was close to where they were waiting. he had also grabbed the mail - and it was the usual mix of ads and bills - although there were three rather heavy envelops that looked as though they had been written by and with a calligraphy pen - and it didn't seem as though these particular pieces of mail had been sent by a church that was trying to get them to join by seeming as if such things were a handwritten invitation to join their group...

Ezio came over and sat in the front passenger seat, curiously going through the stack of mail and murmuring quietly "What's for dinner tonight? I know that it's usually my turn to cook tonight, but I'm just not in the mood to cook... Mason was an absolute nightmare, and of course he had to go harass  _ Georgia _ which caused a big fight between several of the models all at once and it's going to take days to get everything back to the way it was and the designer is trying to figure out whether or not it's just conflicting egos, or if someone needs to get fired - and I'm worried that Mason is going to convince them that it was Georgia's fault that the fight happened, despite the fact that stupid  _ pig _ knew not to call her by her dead name."

Connor winced and lightly patted his friend on the shoulder "Don't worry - we already did a grocery run and we picked up something for dinner - something that I think that you'll like. Desmond said that it's one of your favorite places to eat at, and he knows what you like better than you do, sometimes."

"Yeah... Desmond and I have known one another since we were little kids - when we were able to go out, we tended to order things that we thought that we would like to eat... Only to figure out that we ordered a dish that the other liked better and would swap. Alt... We'd occasionally get teased about it." Ezio responded, almost mentioning the name of one of the people that they'd left behind. They had tried to talk Altair into fleeing with them - but the Syrian wouldn't leave with Malik and Kadar and if all six of them ran, then it was much more likely that all of them would have been hunted down - and Kadar had been  _ eight _ when the two of them had hatched the plan to run - besides, Altair had covered for them and made sure that they had most of a day before anyone back at The Farm knew that they had gone. He went looking through the mail as Connor drove him home, his hands still completely when he spotted something potentially  _ catastrophic _ .

"Are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost..." Connor asked as he parked, glancing over at his friend and frowning a little. He lightly touched one of the other's shoulders, as all the other was doing was staring at the envelops in his hands as if they were about to eat him whole. The taller young man leaned over a little, glancing at them "They look like invitations to a Soul Mate meeting party - an upper scale one, but given that the two of you work for places where you have contact with upper class people, it's not all that surprising. this is rather nice paper." He picked up the one on top of the stack - as it had his name on it in beautifully written cursive.

"I... Wait, there's one for each of us - we should wait and open ours when Desmond has his. Besides, I'm too hungry to properly read whatever's inside of it. Let's eat first... Please?" Ezio responded, still pale and his voice was trembling and...  _ Scared _ ?

This confused Connor rather a lot, but the young man nodded in understanding. "Alright - I suppose that makes sense." He was still rather puzzled as to  _ why _ Ezio was reacting so strangely to this - it wasn't as if they had to accept the invitation if the party conflicted with their schedules, or if they didn't feel like going. "... You know that we don't  _ have _ to go to this thing, if it is an invitation to a soul mate party - or whatever this is for. For all we know, it's an ad for another church."

"I... You've got a point. Thanks for the clarity. I'm sorry - it's just that it's been a long day and I'm hungry and tired." Ezio responded, sighing and nodding as the two of them headed up to their apartment and dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

They were able to eat without too much curious staring at the odd envelops, but as soon as they finished and cleaned up, though Desmond and Ezio would have rather thrown them away than opening it, Connor was incredibly curious and ask rather a lot of questions if they did that, so with some reluctance, the two runaway Assassins opened the envelopes at the same time that Connor did, and they read through the letter. Connor looked at the prepaid card that had been enclosed with his, humming a little as he re-read the invitation, looking over at the other two, and responding with "I think that I'd like to go to this one - itâ€™s being held in the city... Besides, there isn't a return address to send these prepaid cards to... I think that we should go for it- if we get the time off, of course."

"You've got an excellent point! We have no idea as to whether or not that we could get the week that we have to take off for work - and it's going to start next week - it's' a rather short turn around." Ezio responded, looking and sounding almost... Relieved? That they might have to turn this down - although it was worded in a way that it might be... Difficult for them to say no - although there was an empty envelope enclosed with a return address, in case they needed to decline - or to inform them that they were coming, as they were asked to respond within four days.

Desmond stared at the piece of paper in his hands as if it was going to turn into a snake and bite him. Ezio was still several shades paler than he normally was and Connor was very confused as to why the both of them were acting this way. Desmond's eyes were gold - as were Ezio's - then again as both of them had amber eyes, sometimes their eyes were more of a golden color - that tended to happen when they were upset and Connor wanted to know what the  _ hell _ had upset them so much and why an invitation to what seemed to be an upper class meet your soulmate party was something so awful. "... Is there something about this that I'm missing?"

"No, it's just... It's odd that... You know the name of the hotel that we're to go to, if we do decide to go - or rather, have the time to do so? It's one of the most expensive hotels to stay at in the entire  _ country _ which means that this is for... Most of the people who are going to this party are probably going to be very wealthy, and I... I wonder what they might be expecting of those of us who aren't as well off." Ezio responded darkly, a small frown appearing on his face as he tried not to think of the possible darker implications of this.

"You know that they've given us these prepaid cards so that we can get clothes so that we  _ can _ fit into such high society, so that it's not immediately apparent that we're not as wealthy as some of the other people... And those of different socioeconomic levels are invited to such parties, as not everyone's soul mate is of the same social or monetary standing. Everything will be fine - and if any of us feel uncomfortable or if it's one of those skeevy parties where some are trying to take advantage of others, or find out if that's happening, that person will find the other two, we'll leave and call the police, as you know that they really frown on stuff like that - even if rich people are throwing such a thing... Especially if wealthy people are backing something like that, as they take a dim view of such things." Connor soothed, determined. "But if you guys don't want to go, I'm not going to try to convince you to go - but I'm going to ask for the time and off and go - at least for the first day - if I don't like it I'll leave."

"... I... Yeah, You've got a point. It's been a long day and I'm probably just being weird." Ezio responded with a sigh, shaking his head a little "Besides, it's not as if we have to answer and send off the letters tonight - we have a couple of days to think it over first." Still, the former Assassin couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to this invitation that met the eye, but the young man couldn't see what it might be, and the idea of talking the week off to chat and flirt with handsome and pretty strangers who were all well dressed did sound like fun... He rather doubted that he'd meet his soulmate - and the idea of meeting them was rather terrifying. It wasn't that he was afraid of commitment, but though he was rather settled in this city he... He and Desmond were still hiding from an ancient, widespread secretive organization and neither of them wanted to know of what would happen to the two of them - the three of them, as the Brotherhood might drag Connor with the two of them - even though one of the tenets of the creed was to stay one's blade from the flesh of the innocent - but would they view Connor as an innocent? Or would they think that he was willingly and knowingly helping them hide? If it came to that, Ezio was determined to protect Connor... Even if it meant pleading with his father and being trapped as an Assassin once again. Desmond caught his eyes, and Ezio knew that the other had similar thoughts running through his mind. he just hoped that it was the long, irritating day and nothing more.

"Goodnight you two. We should head off to bed. I know it's Friday, but it's almost midnight..." Connor murmured, yawning a little and stretching a little as he got up and headed off to bed.

~

Desmond hadn't decided on whether or not he wanted to go to the party - while he knew that Connor was on to do so - the Vet had texted the both of them mid-morning that he had asked his boss for next week off and ad been given it after telling the other why he wanted the time off - as well as encouraging words about trying to enjoy himself and good luck in finding his soul mate - or at least someone who Connor might be interested in dating... So Desmond was considering going, at least during the first day, as he wanted to see how his friend did while flirting - or at least attempting to flirt, as he knew that the other was rater shy in such situations for the most part, and it would be... Interesting to watch the other attempt to do something like that, not that he would  _ laugh _ as that would be rude and completely unfair of him, as Desmond was well aware that he wasn't the most socially graceful person either... Then again, perhaps that was just when someone flirted with Connor whom the other wasn't interested in?

he had just gotten on his shift and was carefully scrubbing out the last of the glasses in his section - like yesterday, all of them were Â a mess, which meant that whoever had been on shift hadn't bothered to clean up before leaving, which was always irritating to deal with. Desmond knew better than to Â complain about it to his boss, as while it might start unnecessary drama, and the young man didn't want to be accused of trying to steal someone else's shift by complaining... Besides, it had only happened twice - perhaps this person was having a bit of a bad time? If it happened for more than a couple days in a row, then he would speak up.

The former Assassin served up a round of mimosas to a noisy but polite group of business people when prompted to do so, dutifully telling them the list of snacks that would go best with the drink that they had ordered, and went to the back, telling the chef what they wanted, coming back and freezing in the doorway as he overheard three of the business people talking in hushed voices, each of them holding a Â whispered conversation, looking intense and uncertain "I heard that Haytham Kenway is going to this event - although why the CEO of Abstergo Industries is going to something like this, I'm not sure... Then again, I suppose that since he hasn't found his soul mate yet, I suppose it does make sense as to why heâ€™s going... It's quite noble of the grandmaster to try to find a mate among the bloody brotherhood in this ridiculous  _ farce _ but... We canâ€™t refuse, as irritating as that is."

"Oh yeah? But remember, this is to try for  _ peace _ between us and those murderous bastards - I mean... Respectable rivals. If enough of us are bound to the other side, the Council hopes that it would cause them to pause when trying to murder and stop us from guiding the world into the light of understanding... There's also going to be some concessions on our side, but given that the Solar Maxima that's due to happen in a couple of years could be really bad - and the alternative it to try to allow one of the Isu into the world the moment that the maxima happens... We have to work together in order to protect the world from a threat that wouldn't ever harm them, should we succeed... But only if we're able to trust them." Another responded, just as softly.

The third scowled at both of them and swatted them on the back of the head, "Both of you should know better than to gossip about stuff like this in public... The others haven't a clue as to what these invitations really mean - and there are going to be a number of civilians in this, so that the cameras don't catch anything because all of us will be on our best behavior. Hopefully we find our soul mates at this event - as otherwise we will be obligated to date one of  _ them _ and do our best to make such a thing work out..."

"... You've got a point... Sorry about talking about this... It's just... Why were  _ we _ chosen! I've completed every mission given to me successfully and on time! Why am I being punished like this?" The first business person whined unhappily, staring morosely at the piece of paper and knocking back the mimosa before calling out "Bartender! Are you there? I want something stronger than a mimosa - and I don't care that it's noon. I want fireball in this orange juice this time."

Desmond nodded mutely as he came out of the back, some of the food in hand and giving it to them and mixing the other the drink, reeling silently in shock over what he had just learned. He presented the other the drink with a polite "Here you are." So they  _ had _ been found... But hopefully he could convince Ezio and Connor that the best thing was to take the week off, and rather than going to the party, leave the city and go camping as far from this place as he and Ezio could convince Connor to drive.

He nearly bumped into his boss on the way to the bathroom, and the other asked "Desmond, are you alright?"

"No... Yes! I just... Need a quick break... I also... Well... I got this letter, an invitation to some high end soulmate meeting party... It's a week long and it starts next week - but I got it yesterday. Is it too short a time to ask for that much off?" Desmond asked, hoping that the other would deny him.

"Congratulations on getting an invitation like that! You're quite lucky. Of course you can take next week off. I hope that you find your soulmate." His supervisor responded, a warm smile appearing on her face. "You do look a little pale though, are you getting sick?"

"No... I'm just... It was a late night for me, last night. I'll be fine after a quick break boss, I promise!" Desmond responded, smiling up at the other, hoping that the other would buy the lie.

"Alright. Take care of yourself Desmond." She responded before heading off "I have to get more lemons - the batch that we have now has all gone bad. See you later!"

~

Ezio came over to where is boss was currently working, and with a bit of trepidation, he asked them "...Ah boss? You... You know that big, fancy week long soulmate party that everyone here has been talking about nonstop - the one that several of your rivals would murder to have someone wearing their clothes attending... And the one that several of your people would strangle someone in order to get an invitation to...?" It had taken him most of the day to track his boss down, when he had the time to do so. He had decided to go to the event, and if his boss would let him, then Ezio would.

"I have heard quite a bit about it, actually. I'm uninterested in trying to go myself, I have met my soulmate, though if you know anyone who is going, I would be delighted to clothe them at discounted rates, so long as all of their clothes at this event were mine... And from the way that you are fidgeting, I am guessing that you were somehow able to score one of these much coveted invitations? You may go - and you may wear the clothes from my newest line at an even more discounted rate than I was preparing to offer... And if you could speak with Designer Auditore - and perhaps even convince him to collaborate with me, I would be very grateful and refund you the cost of the clothes." They responded, at first rater disinterested in the topic, but began to brightening up a little as they realized just why one of their people was acting so nervous.

"We - or at least, myself, and my two roommates were given a several thousand dollar prepaid cards to get fancy clothes... Although help with that would be... Be very much appreciated... And you said... Designer Auditore...?" He knew that his family was into a number of things but... Fashion? Then again, he supposed that it could be a good way to infiltrate certain areas.

"Yes, Federico Auditore - he's quite big in Europe, and some of his designs are catching on in the haute couture crowd here." Simmons explained, their eyes lighting up a little. "Bring your roommates when they have time this week, and Iâ€™ll have all three of you fitted in wonderful clothes. What do they do? Do you know their general measurements?"

"Desmond and I have almost the same body shape - although Desmond is perhaps an inch shorter than I am and a bit more slender. Connor... Connor's built like a football player, though he's a veterinarian, actually. Some people think he looks rather intimidating, but he's a sweetheart and kinda shy. He's six foot four." Ezio responded truthfully "And Desmond works part time - I'll be sure to drag him here tomorrow morning." He wasn't thrilled with the idea of attending the same week long party as his older brother but... There was a chance that they'd been sent the invitations by the Brotherhood, as a subtle signal that the two of them had been found - and hopefully Connor could escape - but Ezio had the distinct feeling that if he or Desmond or both of them tried to run, that they would be caught by the brotherhood and Â locked up somewhere... Besides, there was a slim chance that he could meet his soulmate at this party and then there was a chance that the Brotherhood couldn't take him from his possibly wealthy and well connected soulmate without causing all sorts of trouble.

"Wonderful - I have a couple of ideas - and I will make sure to get a couple of tailored things for your very tall friend. Do be sure to bring Connor in before the week is up as well, so I can get more precise measurements - unless you think that he'd let you measure him if he's too busy? What sorts of animals does he work with?" His boss asked, a small smile appearing on their face, obviously trying to get a mental picture of both of them "And Desmond - what does he do? What clothes are they comfortable in?"

Ezio thought about what the other had asked for several moments, and described what they both liked - starting with Desmond "When he's off of work, Desmond prefers to wear hoodies - all three of us do, actually. Desmond is a bartender at that country club up on Hawthorne Street that opened a year ago. As for getting Connor's measurements - me asking him for them would probably work a bit better, as he's kinda shy and dislikes it when strangers try to touch him." And as fitting required rather a lot of touching - purely professional and light as it was, his socially anxious friend would  _ hate _ doing something like that. "Although if you have me take his measurements here, then you could get a look at both of them, to see what colors match them best, boss."

"That sounds like a reasonable thing to me." Simmons had overheard several rather entertaining anecdotes about Ezio's roommates and they were quite curious as to just who those two were... And just how three so very different people met.


	3. Chapter 3

Connor was rather nervous, but also excited as the three of them made their way to the hotel that was hosting the week long party. They had made sure to RSVP as they'd been asked to do so - but both Ezio and Desmond seemed to be rather anxious about something, but when he asked what was bothering them, neither of them could tell him what it was... Perhaps they were more nervous about the party was all? the thought of potentially meeting one's soulmate was both an exciting and nerve wracking experience - and though the first words that each of their soulmates would say to them was on each of their left wrists - each of them seemed to have fairly common phrases, that had appeared when each of them turned eighteen, as was normal.

Connor's said "Are you alright?" and the young man wondered just what that might mean - though it was possible that he was going to meet his soulmate over tripping over his own feet - as though the martial arts that he had been taking since he'd been young did help with his clumsiness, as well as helping him learn how to control his own strength, occasionally he did still trip over his own feet. A sigh left his lips as another thought occurred to him - though he had gotten a lot better about his pyrophobia since he'd been younger ... Occasionally it would cause him problems - but only when suddenly faced with open flames.

The young man shook himself out of the rather dark mood that he had found himself in - honestly. This was just a soulmate meeting party, and though the young man - and it was likely that his friends' anxiety over what might happen was getting to him - and though neither Desmond nor Ezio could tell him /why/ they were so worried, it bothered the young man, as Connor hoped that he'd be able to help them through whatever was upsetting them so much... Perhaps they were worried about offending someone wealthy or influential? None of the three of them were the most diplomatic of people, but neither were they very confrontational, either.

They checked went to the front desk of the hotel soon enough, and as neither Ezio nor Desmond seemed to want to talk very much, Connor sighed and showed the front desk their invitations. The front desk person smiled professionally at the two of them and instructed them "All of the guests who are staying here for the party are being given their own rooms - although the three of you do have adjoining rooms, unless you have any objections?"

"That is fine, thank you." Connor responded with a small, polite smile as he grabbed the key cards and handed one to each of his friends. He gently shepherded the two of them away from the front desk. He explained their odd behavior to the concerned receptionist, who was frowning worriedly at the three of them "We're all a little overwhelmed at.... All of this." Someone had to talk to the hotel person, and as neither Ezio nor Desmond seemed to be able to talk at the moment, Connor was doing his best to step up - to avoid more awkwardness than if the three of them stayed where they were and the two of them continue to awkwardly stare at everything around them. He glanced at the key card and remarked "Our rooms are on the fifth floor. Do you guys want to walk up the stairs, or do you want to take an elevator up?"

"I... I think that we should take the elevator. The stairs in place like this tend to be for staff-members only except in case of emergency." Ezio responded after a moment "I wonder if the full amenities of this hotel are open for us to use without care - or do you think we have to pay for it? They've got a gym - including a swimming pool - on the second floor according to this brochure." Ezio mused, looking through it with some interest.

"We have do have quite a bit left on the prepaid cards, we could use them to get what we want, so long as we're careful. Your boss was generous in giving us that discount on clothes." Desmond responded, humming a little as the three of them entered one of the elevators and hit the button to go to the floor that their rooms were on.

"That's a good point. Once we drop our stuff off in our rooms, do you two want to do that? There's also a greenhouse on the roof if, you'd rather check that out? Oh, and there's a restaurant on the far side of the first floor?" Ezio noted "It's ten in the morning and the first of the soulmate meeting event/party thing doesn't start 'til three. It's likely that we're one of the first few soulmate people to check in - at least for today."

"I'd rather go to the greenhouse first, and then the gym." Connor responded quietly "And we don't have to do everything together, though I'd feel better if we stuck together... At least during the first day."

"Seeing some greenery does sound nice - besides, the gym is closed for cleaning from ten thirty to eleven fifteen in the morning, every day, so it'd be a good idea to stay away until after eleven fifteen, and we'd have less than a half hour to exercise, anyways." Ezio responded cheerfully "And I'd like to stick together, at least for today, too."

Desmond nodded in agreement, and the elevator came to a stop. The doors opening to the floor that their rooms were on. It was wonderful to have at least two allies in what could be a gigantic _mess_ if they had been found by the Brotherhood - but so long as they were careful, they should be able to make it out okay.

~

Connor noted that there were instructions for him in an envelope - it was addressed to him by his full name - including the surname that he guessed that his father had. Connor had never met his biological father - his mother had told him that the two of them had known one another for a few months and had fallen in love - but that his father had lead a rather dangerous double life, and that he had left to protect her - the scar that she had on her collarbone had been left by one of his enemies. His mom had fought the bastard who had marked her like that off but... She hadn't told him his father's name before she had died Â - and when someone had deliberately set their apartment complex on fire when he had been sixteen, the Â young man had occasionally wondered as to whether or not it had simply been a random act of senseless violence or not. Thinking of her was still painful, though Connor missed her a bit less than he used to...

And all of this reminded the young man that he should call his grandmother - who he had gone to live with after his mom had died. Connor made sure to call her once a week, but the past week and a half had been busy, and he had forgotten to do so. A wordless sigh left him as he called her on his cell phone, not entirely surprised to find that his grandma hadn't answered the phone - so he left her a message, telling her about what had happened since he'd last called her - and that he was going to a week long soulmate party thing, and that he'd tell her all about it when it finished up. He also told her that he was fairly sure it was unlikely that he'd find his soulmate, but that he would do his best to keep his hopes up.

After that, the young man started to read the instructions, finding a mask in the drawer that he'd been told would be holding his mask. It was a rather bare looking mask - it also rather looked a lot like a rabbit mask, which caused the young man to sulk a little, as it wasn't the most intimidating looking mask - then again he supposed that it wasn't meant to be intimidating, but simply to obscure his features. Connor also put on the gloves, which hid what his hands looked like as well. They were to keep the masks on during each of the soulmate meeting events, of which there were going to be tree each day, with time set aside for one to speak with someone whom one had met at these events, if one felt drawn to that person. Connor supposed that it made sense that they would hide their faces from one another - given that at least half of the people in attendance would be rich and famous, they might be pestered by quite a few people, all of whom who hoped to be the soulmate to said person - or at least date that person for a little bit, in the chance to acquire some of that wealth and fame for themselves... Although what could _possibly_ be attractive about being so firmly in the public view, the introverted young Vet couldn't say. Then again, he wasn't someone who had ever wanted to be famous - and he only wanted enough money to be comfortable and to do the things that he enjoyed doing...

And as he made plenty of money to visit his grandma regularly and go out on trips to the nearby national parks with his friends, there wasn't much else that he wanted. Then again, the young man hadn't ever bought into the rampant consumerism that some thought that they needed in order to be happy - not that Ezio nor Desmond had, either... And the first soulmate Â event was at eleven - and as it was ten thirty now, they would have just enough time to get there without being late. He knocked on the doors to Desmond's and Ezio's Â rooms, calling out "I'm not sure if you two have read through the letters, but if we want to be on time to the first thing that they want us to attend to, we gotta go soon."

He heard sighs from both of the closed doors and both of his friends came out, and each of them were wearing eagle masks, and neither seemed to be all that happy. Connor was sulking that theirsâ€™ actually looked _cool_ whereas he was dressed like a bunny rabbit. "... How come the both of you get decent masks and I look like a magician's assistant?"

"Oh... You don't look bad, Connor. It's kinda... Cu... Charming. It looks charming." Desmond responded, lightly patting his friend on one of his shoulders as they made their way over to the Â elevator, waiting for it to show up after hitting the button.

"Do you want to switch then? And don't think I heard your near slip up in almost calling it _cute_." Connor grumbled, still obviously sulking at how ridiculous that he looked - they both looked quite striking in their masks. It was terribly unfair.

"... Nah, I'll keep this one. Besides, there might be a reason why we were given the masks that we were - besides it makes you look a bit less intimidating - you are _really_ tall after all and well built. Some might find you quite intimidating." Desmond responded. Ezio nodded in agreement to what the other was saying.

Connor squinted at both of them, before sighing. He knew that more than a couple of the pet parents as they were to be called could be intimidated by his presence - and with the fact that his face was hidden, he supposed that some might find him intimidating, if he had a rather impressive looking mask but... The young man was still a little grumpy about the bunny mask he was being forced to wear.

~

The three of them were paired up with one person in an Eagle mask - though a different kind tan Desmond's and Ezio's, a person with a cat mask, and someone in a wolf mask. The six of them were seated together, and the three roommates were sitting across from the three strangers. They'd been given menus, but Connor had already decided on what he wanted - one of the light salads seemed good, as he wasn't all that hungry - as he was rather nervous, being watched by these three strangers who seemed to be watching them quite intensely - although that was likely just his nerves talking, rather than the truth.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit anxious." The wolf masked person asked, sounding politely curious. His voice was deep and soothing and very British.

Connor's eyes widened behind his mask and he could feel the words on his wrist tingle a little. "I... Ah... _Oh_ ..." Why couldn't he think of anything to say? Other than to blurt out that the wolf masked man was his soulmate in front of all five of them? The young man didn't want to say it outright, as t could simply be _nerves_ and he didn't want to cause a commotion at the table.

The eagle masked person growled at the other, clearly irritated "You are doing a spectacular job of terrifying them, I see. Ignore him - he cannot hurt you while you are here, and it is very unlikely that he will spend the time to hunt you down and terrorize you later."

Desmond shrunk in on himself a little, clearly recognizing the eagle masked person's voice as he pressed himself a bit closer to Connor, trying and failing not to shake a little in shock and genuine anxiety.

Connor allowed himself a mental count of ten before trying to speak again, this time able to say something coherent this time "I don't find him frightening. On the contrary, I find his voice to be soothing and enchanting." After a moment, a thought occurred to the young man, and he asked "What are your preferred pronouns?" He didn't want to assume, as everyone present was wearing suits - but that didn't mean much.

"You are certainly a bold little coniglietto, though foolish. There is a reason why he was given a wolf mask." the cat masked man responded, sounding incredibly amused - but he also sounded Italian, and his accent sounded very similar to Ezio's. "I use he and him pronouns."

Ezio also shrunk a little against the sound of the other's voice, obviously recognizing him and his friend seemed to be looking for an exit - but given that the restaurant was starting to fill up entirely, it would be difficult to leave - besides, it would be rude to just get up and leave and Ezio seemed to reconsider fleeing, though he was very tense. Connor lightly patted both of his friends' closer knees, trying to calm them down a little and having the distinct impression that he was the only one who was going to be talking today.

Eagle spoke up after Cat, responded with "I use he and him pronouns as well - I'm a bit surprised as to the fact that you ask - most people tend not to ask for such things, preferring to guess."

Connor shrugged at the response. It was something that was fairly to easy to ask for and it was less embarrassing than assuming that someone was a different gender - and few people questioned why he asked. "Why shouldn't I ask? It seems more polite than just assuming that you know what someone prefers to be called, simply by the way they dress."

Wolf glanced over at Eagle before responding with an honest "I use he and him pronouns. Which ones do you three use? Ignore him by the way - he can get rather nosy and intrusive, which I find to be rather rude, personally."

"We all use he and him pronouns... My friends are a bit... Shy... At the moment, so I guess it's my turn to talk." Connor responded. He wasn't happy with the idea that he was the one doing most of the talking - Ezio almost always had an easy smile on his face and enjoyed talking to people - particularly strangers - more than he or Desmond did, but Connor had a suspicion that whoever Eagle and Cat were, they might have something to do with their past, and why both of them could get jumpy and paranoid when they spotted the same cars more than a couple of days in the same areas, if they were different than the cars that were their neighbors.

The server appeared before anyone could say anything else, and the six of them ordered food, both Ezio and Desmond speaking differently than normal, so as to disguise their voices. Connor was glad that the mask on his face hid the puzzled expression on his face... And the worry, as the reasons _why_ they were doing this weren't likely because they felt like putting on funny voices. Eagle and Cat stayed quiet, watching Desmond and Ezio respectively, but Wolf cleared his throat a little and asked more polite questions.

Connor cheerfully answered them, starting to figure out that it was quite _easy_ to talk with the older man - and though it was a little bit nerve wracking to flirt with him at first, Wolf reciprocated the flirting, which prompted Connor to be just a little bit bolder while flirting with the other as they ate. Connor just wished that Ezio and Desmond would have talked - at least for a little while... Not that Cat or Eagle spoke much, either.


	4. Chapter 4

There was an announcement that a dance would be held in the next twenty minutes in the ballroom, and Wolf asked "Do you have a dance partner yet?"

"No... Although a dance does sound nice..." Connor responded, not quite bold enough to ask the older man for a dance.

"I'd be delighted if you danced with me... hm... Calling you rabbit feels a little odd. May I have your name?" Â Wolf asked playfully. The both of them got up and carefully extricated themselves from where their companions continued to silently and awkwardly stare at one another, as the two of them had finished their lunches.

"You can call me Connor. May I have your name?" Connor responded, taking the offered arm and grinning cheerfully at the other, pleasantly surprised Â to find that he was only a couple of inches taller than Wolf - he tended to tower over most people, which caused the young man to feel rather... Awkward, as he had been accused of  _ looming _ over someone, when he was simply in their general area.

"Hmm... Well, my middle name is Edward, which is a bit more common than my first name. Though I do rather enjoy you calling me wolf." The silver haired man responded, a chuckle in his voice.

"I... Connor... Er..." Ezio managed out, obviously still trying to change the way that his voice sounded, reaching out to his friend "I..." He glanced between the two of them, sighed and eventually responded "... Enjoy dancing with him. Try not to get into too much trouble?"

Connor smiled - though it was hidden by his mask - and responded with a cheerful "I'll stay out of trouble, I promise... Besides, it's not as if the dashing Wolf next to me would try to do anything... I'm not wearing red, for one thing."

"I... I suppose that is true... Just... Be careful." Ezio responded, still sounding concerned and uncomfortable - though that had something to do with the reason why the other was so utterly uncomfortable with the cat masked man... It wasn't that Connor wasn't concerned as to why the other two were reacting like, but as neither of them had explained why they had been so anxious about going to this weeklong event in the first place, the young man was determined to enjoy himself - and hopefully get to know his soulmate a little better... Or at least, the handsome wolf-masked Edward.

"I will be careful, thank you for your concern... I hope that the two of you enjoy yourselves as well... Do try to relax? There is security in place here, if you do feel uncomfortable or threatened to the point that you need help." Connor reminded the other gently, glancing at an equally uncomfortable Desmond. With that he turned away from the two of them and glanced over at Edward - who hadn't interrupted their brief conversation. "Shall we? I'm looking forwards to dancing."

"As am I." Edward - as the man had called himself - though Connor suspected that Edward wasn't his first name - a middle name or nickname, perhaps?

They arrived at the ballroom where the dance was being held shortly after that, and Connor paused, noting that there wasn't anyone else in the immediate area. He fidgeted with his hands a little and mumbled "I... When you... Uhm..." Why was this so hard to say? Edward was so charming and warm and it had been so  _ easy _ to talk to him before. Perhaps it was the claim that he was about to make that was so hard to say - given that the other might be wealthy and heard such claims in the past was part of the reason why Connor was struggling to speak the truth that he had found so difficult to say.

Edward shifted closer, and he could  _ hear _ the smile in the other's voice "If you are referring to the fact that when you stuttered at me, I felt the phrase on my wrist warm, informing me of the fact that my soulmate was trying to speak to me, I am well aware. It is one of the reasons why I asked you to dance with me - another being the fact that I find you to be a genuinely charming young man and I am looking forwards to dancing with you."

"I am looking forwards to dancing with you as well!" Connor responded brightly, his shoulders relaxing visibly in relief. It wasn't that he wouldn't have eventually worked up the courage to talk to the other about this but... Given the fact that they'd known one another for all of an hour, it seemed to be... A bit forward to talk about such things so soon. Then again this was the entire point of going to this party - for the chance of meeting one's soulmate.

The two of them stepped into the ballroom after a moment, and though Connor hadn't ever waltzed before, he found it a fairly easy dance to learn - he followed Edward's lead and did his best not to step on the other's feet. It was difficult not to just look down at his feet to make sure that he was doing it correctly - or at least, to avoid stepping on his soulmate's toes - but Edward was patient with him and occasionally reminded him to look up - and the young man was caught by the bright, intense blue of the other's eyes, and Connor found himself wondering what the other looked like, beneath the mask and gloves.

It was a lot of fun, dancing with Edward.... flirting with the other a bit and just... Being  _ close _ to the other was wonderful. The older man was confident in his movements, and  _ very _ clever... But unlike some who enjoyed flaunting their cleverness, Edward didn't seem to do that - and unlike Ezio and Desmond - who would beg him to stop after a while, when he started making truly terrible puns, Edward just joined in, and the two of them had to stop dancing at one point, laughing hard at the wordplay, holding onto one another as they recovered from laughing so much.

~

When Desmond felt the words on his wrist warm, he wasn't sure which was more terrifying, the thought that his soulmate was his father, or that William was in front of him, after he had ran away from The Farm when he was sixteen - and that he had never looked Â back since. he couldn't even try to eat is lunch, and was very grateful that Connor was talking, as he had entirely lost his voice - although the idea of Connor wandering off with someone who was quite probably a Templar was something that Desmond didn't want - he still couldn't speak - besides, the Templar in question seemed to be fairly affable, and as it was clear that Connor was an unknowing civilian, hopefully the Templar wouldn't torment Connor too much Â - though the former Assassin was very painfully aware of the fact that Â Templars had no rules against using or harming civilians in pursuit of their goals - not that the probable Templar had any reason to arm Connor - or so Desmond hoped. Now, if he could get out of this nightmare of a situation without his father realizing that his errant son was in front of him, everything would be fine. They could get the hell out of here - and hopefully the Templar would slip up and say something rude or offensive that would break whatever spell that he had managed to weave over Connor and then... Then they could hide in their apartment Â until this was all over and go on with their lives.

There was a good chance that they would have to move - at least out of the city and hide for a while... Which would  _ suck _ because he loved working at the country club, and it would also mean that they would either have to break their friendship with Connor - or more likely, explain to Connor why the two of them were going into hiding, and Desmond did not want to put his friend into further danger by informing him of the secret world that he and Ezio had tried so desperately to escape. But... Part of Desmond was curious as to how the other had been since he had left, as e ad missed Bill, despite... Everything that had happened. Quite a bit had happened since he had fled The Farm when he was sixteen, so hopefully... hopefully his father wouldn't recognize him. he cleared his throat a little and asked "So... Err.. Sorry for not talking earlier. What do you prefer to be called? Or do you want me to call you eagle?"

"You may call me Eagle if you wish. I also go by Bill. It is nice to finally hear your voice. I hope that I wasn't a major reason as to why you were so quiet earlier, though your friend seems rather taken by Wolf - which is rather unfortunate as that man is a snake."

"... Oh... Connor can usually take pretty good care of himself, and as he mentioned earlier, there is security everywhere, so he should be able to get to safety, if the man does try anything that Connor doesn't want him to." Desmond answered, fidgeting with his hands under the table, trying to keep calm and not worry more.

"Would you like to dance with me? If you don't, I understand but I..." Bill glanced at the wrist that held is soulmate's first words "I... I would very much like to speak with you more."

Desmond found himself answering impulsively "I would like to dance with you and talk to you more too."

Bill nodded and the two f them got up and left the table. Desmond glanced over at Ezio, but between the mask that the other was wearing, and the fact that he was staring down at his food, Desmond couldn't really get a read on his friend. "What sort of dances do you know? Fair warning - I'm two left feet for the most part when it comes to stuff like this. I'll do my best not to step on you but... I'm not the most graceful person."

Bill chuckled a little at that, responding with "I don't mind - there will probably be a number of traditional western dances being danced. There are a couple that are fairly easy to learn, that I would be happy to teach you as we dance."

Desmond nodded at that and the two of them set off for the ballroom.

"You look quite dashing in that suit, young eagle. Is there another name that you'd like me to call you instead?" Bill asked, looking the younger man up and down appreciatively as he spoke.

Desmond blushed darkly as he mentally scrambled for a name, blurting out "My name is... Desmond." Ack! then again... The only person he went by Desmond with when he was sixteen was Ezio... Before he'd left The Farm. If the two of them actually got along at the end of the week, and if the two of them decided that pursuing a relationship was a good thing, perhaps he would tell his soulmate more about himself, and why he had hesitated when he had told the other his name... And if Bill was his father, Desmond genuinely didn't believe that the two of them would get along well enough to want to try for a full relationship - though the other would most certainly try to drag him back into the darkness of the Brotherhood... Which he would fight tooth and nail against. He enjoyed the freedom that he had. They arrived at the ballroom, having walked there in companionable silence. Desmond remarked before they went in "The words on my wrist Â warmed when you spoke to me." He had also heard of people who had found out that their soulmate - or soulmates - were family members, after they turned eighteen... It was uncommon, certainly... But Desmond hoped that he wasn't that unlucky.

Bill hummed a little before responding "Mine warmed when you first spoke to me as well. Shall we dance?"

Desmond nodded, and the two of them continued to talk as they danced - and Bill lead all of the dances - tugging a little on Desmond's hand, or squeezing his hip a little, whenever the younger man tried to lead a little. Despite that, Desmond found the other's dry humor entertaining - and flirting with the older man wasn't awkward... In fact it was rather fun.

~

Ezio knew that he should have listened to his instincts, when he had first seen the damned letter. It had spelled giant trap in huge, flashing, fluorescent colors, but he had allowed himself to get swept up in the romantic idea of finding his soulmate at a party like this - as well as Connor - and later Desmond's infectious enthusiasm for such a thing to overwhelm his common sense. There seemed to be a very meticulous balance of Templars, Assassins and neutral people at the party, from what he had seen of the masked people in the restaurant, and Ezio wondered if the neutral people - like Connor - were there as a buffer between the two orders, or if this was some sort of attempt at getting the two ancient and secretive organizations to cooperate with one another - although  _ why _ they were trying for peace again, Ezio did not know and didn't have the energy to  _ care _ . He could hear Connor talking to the Templar, and while he knew that he should be trying to do  _ something _ about that, all the young man could do was brood and worry.

It was taking most of his self control not to react to the presence of not only Desmond's father but... His older brother, Federico, whose voice still occasionally haunted Ezio in his dreams. One of the reasons why he had been so eager to flee with Desmond away from all of this was so that he could get away from Federico... Not that it was his older brother's fault that Ezio had developed a wildly inappropriate crush on him. The Italian former Assassin knew that his feelings for his older brother weren't what they were supposed to be at the time, and between his older brother's cheerfully flirtatious nature (which caused him to feel so  _ jealous _ and terribly  _ possessive _ ) along with the fact that the other hugged him frequently - each of the Auditore siblings were fairly tactile for an Assassin family, and when he was younger, Ezio delighted that he was able to hug his brothers and sisters without being scolded for it... But as the damned crush Â that Ezio had developed on his older brother got worse and worse, it was  _ torture _ of a kind that the young Assassin could barely tolerate... He briefly broke out of his reverie as Connor left with the Templar, but his words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Desmond had desperately wanted out, and he had gone to the states for a year, as he wanted a little bit of breathing room from his siblings, and running away from it all had been so attractive - to be able to try to sort himself out as well as... As well as figuring out who he wanted to be. Desmond left the table as he continued to brood, but he couldn't find the words that he needed to say, as he knew that the other had at least some idea as to what he was getting himself into. He continued to poke at his food, not in the least bit hungry, but also unable to even attempt to try to speak to his older brother - who would likely figure out who he was, if he spoke for much longer, if Federico hadn't guessed who he was  _ already _ .

His older brother cleared his throat a little, asking "Is there something that you would like to do? I am guessing that you wouldn't want to dance - at least not with me,  _ fratello _ ... But I have missed you, in the ten years that you have been away from all of us... Did we really push you so far away? Ella is -"

"Oh _fuck_ _me_! Why is everything so needlessly complicated!" Ezio hissed as he felt the words on his wrist warm up. Federico was his soulmate... Somehow that didn't make him feel any better. "Desmond. _His_ name is Desmond. I left the Brotherhood to figure out who I was and _Desmond_ also wished to leave. It was safer if the two of us fled together... Though I have missed you and the rest of our family... How... How are they?" He could _try_ to lie to Federico, but Ezio knew that it would be a pointless exercise that would only irritate and upset his older brother - who was much more stubborn than he was.

"... That.. That was not how I expected that sentence to be said, when I finally heard it. But somehow, I am not surprised to find out that  _ you _ are my soulmate, Ezio... Unless you prefer to go by another name? I will do my best to remember Desmond's true name." Federico murmured, leaning over the table a little and grabbing one of his younger brother's hands before the other ran away again. "They are doing well - although all of us have been terribly worried as to why you suddenly disappeared. Mother and Father have almost given up on finding you, although our sisters and younger brother are just as determined to find you as I was, before I found you here. I've missed you terribly, and I know that the others have as well."

Ezio tensed a little as Federico grabbed one of his hands, and he couldn't help the soft gasp that left his lips. It was... The young man couldn't begin to process the feelings that were chaotically storming through his mind at the moment, but the fact that the other wasn't  _ angry _ that he had fled from their family's centuries-long tradition of being Assassins was... It was... The  _ relief _ and  _ joy _ of finally seeing his older brother again brought the younger man to the point of tears. "I... I miss all of them as well. But I... I do not wish to... To kill."

Federico's voice was warm, and full of understanding "I can understand that - and the Brotherhood is far more than knives in the darkness - not that I am asking you to come back. Let us go somewhere more private to speak, I can tell that you're about to start crying - I know that I am... I am close as well."

Ezio nodded silently, as he could feel a sob trying to work its' way out of his throat as he followed the other to wherever it was that Federico wished to go.


	5. Chapter 5

After the two of them finished dancing for the evening, Edward walked with him as the two of them ambled off to the elevators. A small smile was on Connor's lips, and a feeling of warmth and contentment filled the young man. His soulmate was an enchanting and quick-witted person, and Connor was delighted to get to know the other - or at least the chance to begin to do so. There was a line for the elevators - there were quite a few masked people, and Connor turned to the other and asked shyly "During the other events this week... Do you... Do you want to meet up with me?"

"Of course - How about the person who first comes down to the lobby waits for the other person by the indoor trees over there?" Edward responded, voice warm and full of something that sounded like amused happiness as the other nodded towards the area that he was speaking about.

Connor turned and nodded, responding with "That sounds like a good idea to me! I look forwards to getting to know you better."

"And I am looking forwards to getting to know you better as well... I feel a little bit silly about asking, but would you like me to escort you to your room?" Edward asked curiously, sounding a little awkward, but also hopeful.

"It depends on which floor your room is on - mine is on the fifth floor..." Connor responded, not wanting to have the other get off several floors above his own, as that would be rude.

"Hmm.. I'm on the ninth floor, and it wouldn't be a bother, unless you'd rather I not take you to your room? At least not on this first night. Err... That sounded a bit more suggestive than I meant it to be." Edward responded, sounding a lot more awkward than before, but it was endearing.

"I guessed that you didn't mean anything like /that/ .. And I'd be happy to spend a bit more time with you on the way to my room." Connor responded brightly, beaming at his soulmate behind his mask, glad that he wasn't the only one who could get rather easily flustered in his soulmate's presence.

The two of them patiently waited for their turn at the elevators, chatting occasionally and after a bit, Connor asked quietly "On Friday, there isn't anything scheduled midday for the soulmate meeting... Thing... I was wondering if you wanted to go on a picnic with me through the greenhouses on the roof?" He was pretty sure that he could arrange something with one of the two restaurants with the place - and though the other might not want sandwiches, there were many other things that he could order and a to-go bag wasn't the most romantic thing, Connor was unsure as to whether or not they were allowed to leave the resort hotel. He'd search through the hotel's gift shop to see if they had anything resembling a picnic basket.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea to me, and I am looking forwards to it... Hmmm... Is there anything in particular that you'd like for the food? I am partial to sandwiches and chips, personally. Perhaps with some fruit and chocolate for dessert?" Edward responded, a small smile appearing on his face, as his eyes lit up with enthusiasm at the idea.

Connor was caught by how intensely  _ blue _ the other's eyes were and was doing his level best to fight the brilliant blush that was spreading across his face - not that anyone could /see/ his blush but... He nodded and responded with "That sounds wonderful - if we can get it... The instructions I got implied that they wanted all of us to  _ stay _ at the resort if we wanted to continue to participate in the soulmate events..."

"I will speak with the hotel staff, and they should be able to have everything ready for us to use when Friday comes around. I am looking forwards to getting to know you, Connor." Edward murmured, shifting a little bit closer to Connor and almost, but not quite reaching out to the younger man.

Connor shifted closer to Edward, and part of him wanted very much to hug the other - but as they had only just met - Connor decided to be impulsive - he hugged the other tightly for a couple of moments before letting go - before his soulmate was able to react to the touch, it seemed. The doors to the elevator opened and as there was no one else in front of them, Connor darted inside, but he hadn't quite pushed the button, as he waited for the other to react, glad that he had an escape route.

Edward stepped in after him, watching him and Connor desperately wished that he could see beneath the mask that the other was wearing as he wondered what sort of reaction that the other had to being hugged so unexpectedly - though it had seemed as if Edward had been about to hug him a few moments ago, but hadn't known if the touch would have been wanted. Â After a couple of moments, the elevator doors slid shut and Connor pressed the buttons for both of the levels that their rooms were on. He stuttered out a timid "I'm sorry for hugging you without asking you first... I should have asked you if you wanted me to first."

Edward spoke up after what felt like an eternity, but was much more likely to have been a couple of seconds "I didn't mind the hug in the slightest, Connor. I was surprised that you hugged me, but pleasantly so. If the desire to give me affection happens to you again - and I sincerely hope that it does - you may hug or... Or perhaps even kiss me, if you so desire without asking permission first."

Connor blushed at that and answered with "I will keep that in mind - and you're allowed to do the same."

~

Desmond and Bill ended up in the greenhouse on the roof as after a couple of dances, both of them admitted to one another that though they enjoyed spending time with one another... Neither of them was fond of the overwhelming crush of people that were at the ballroom, and that a bit of fresher air away from other people sounded more comfortable. Though the glass was slightly tinted, the sunlight was still fairly visible, and it was nice walking through the carefully maintained rows of plants - many of them were vegetables or vine fruits - such as raspberries - but there were fresh herbs and some spices being grown as well.

They weren't quite hand in hand, but the two of them were brushing shoulders as they walked side by side, and Bill remarked after a moment "It's quite lovely out here. I'm glad that you suggested this place. There is a flower garden that is open to the public - the hotel circles around it, but there are likely to be just as many people there, as there are in that ballroom, as it's a beautiful place to go and fairly near where the ballroom is, actually."

A small smile appeared on Desmond's face at that - glad that Bill liked the suggestion - so long as they didn't try to harm the plants or take any of the ripening fruits or vegetables, they were allowed up here, and the introverted young man could already feel himself recharging away from the oppressive crush of people who had been in the ballroom Besides, though the music had been classical in nature, it had been a bit too loud for his sensitive hearing - and his nerves had ratcheted his already above average senses up to eleven, and it had been damned near impossible to focus on anything for very long for Desmond... Although Bill's steady presence and the hand in his - as well as the hand on his waist - had helped to steady him to a degree. "Yeah, I had hoped that this place was still open - at certain times of the day they close it to the public so that they can water and tend to the plants, at least it says so in the brochure."

"That makes sense - are you starting to feel a bit better? There is a bench not far from where we are if you'd like to sit down.... I noticed that you were getting a little bit over stimulated in the ballroom... And I realize that was a rude thing to point out. My apologies, Desmond." Bill responded, gesturing towards the bench that he had spotted.

Desmond fidgeted with his hands a little before smiling up at the other, moving closer to the other and responding with a gentle "No, you were right that I was getting overwhelmed in the ballroom and it's... It's courteous of you to have noticed that." Most didn't notice when he started to get overwhelmed in that way - or thought that he should just be able to get  _ over _ it.

"You  _ are _ my soulmate and it would be neglectful of me to be inattentive to what you need. Besides I... You..." A sigh left Bill's lips as he shook his head a little "I was getting a bit overwhelmed myself. I dislike large crowds as well."

"... I did notice that you were getting a bit tenser, but I wasn't sure if I should say anything or not." Desmond responded, fidgeting a little with his hands as he peeked up at Bill. He wondered what was going through. He was fairly sure that Bill wasn't his father - as the man in front of him was warm and  _ understanding _ in a way that his distant and critical father never had been. Part of him wondered if he was disappointed by that - but then again, it also meant that there weren't any societal pressures for the two of them to remain as strictly  _ platonic _ soulmates.

Bill nodded and sat down next to him. The two of them sat down and watched the clouds go by overhead, occasionally commenting about what a particular cloud looked like, and Desmond found that he was leaning into Bill's warmth, his eyes closing a little. It was probably sometime after four in the afternoon, but today had been incredibly busy and the greenhouse was warm and the thought of taking a nap was entirely too tempting an idea...

But Desmond was fairly sure that napping on one's newly met soulmate was bad form, so he stretched and stood up before turning to Bill and admitting "If I stay still for much longer, I'll probably start sleeping on you."

Bill hummed a little at that, standing up "I am feeling rather tired as well - I had to take a twelve hour flight in order to get here, and I could not sleep on the plane . I had a short nap before I went to the restaurant, but I couldn't sleep all that much either - as I had a half hour before the lunch started, and I didn't want to miss it. Is there anywhere in particular that you would like to go? Or perhaps would you like to continue to explore the greenhouse?"

Desmond hummed a little for a moment, trying to decide what he wanted to do before responding with a cheerful "I think that I want to explore the greenhouse a bit more." The two of them talked for a while longer and eventually decided that they would meet up again for the other soulmate events - so that the two of them would be able to get to know one another better as they  _ were _ soulmates and that was part of what all of this was about . Bill would wait for him in the hotel lobby, near where the front desk was - or he would wait for the other, depending on who arrived downstairs first.

~

Ezio found that Federico had taken him to what appeared to be a gardens area. They had passed several dozen people on their way through to what seemed to be a secluded spot in the gardens. The sun was shining and it was a warm, and pleasantly breezy day... But Ezio couldn't find it within himself to try to enjoy such little things. There was the scent of what smelled like lilacs on the breeze, and sure enough, there was a couple of delicate lilac trees growing close to where Federico had brought him. The former Assassin watched his older brother carefully, as he tried to figure out what the other had in mind.

The two of them were soulmates - and Ezio  _ knew _ that he wanted to be romantic soulmates with Federico, despite the fact that he knew that it would be a really bad idea - if they were caught doing anything...  _ Inappropriate _ by the wrong person, the two of them could be separated and the thought of that -  _ if _ Federico was even interested in such a thing with him - would be almost more than the young man could bear... Especially if he was taken by to Montegerroni where their family was... Then again, his older brother had been a big flirt when they had been younger, and had more than one boyfriend and girlfriend (sometimes at the same time - though when that happened, everyone involved knew about one another. Despite what had been occasionally said by that bastard Vieri, his brother hadn't cheated on anyone)... Part of Ezio wanted to see how far he could make it before Federico tackled him to the ground, but as they were going to be stuck in the same hotel together at least until the end of today (Ezio wanted to  _ flee _ as far as he could - but only after grabbing Desmond and doing his best to convince Connor that running away was a good idea) it was probably best to at least try to play along with whatever Federico wanted until he could get away...

"I know that you are trying to figure out a way to run away... I can see the way that you are looking around, fratello. Federico murmured, interrupting his younger brother's Â train of thought.

"... So what if I am? I just... I have missed you and the others terribly but I... going back would be... It would be  _ torture _ going back. Especially now that I know that you and I are soulmates." Ezio admitted, tensing a little as Federico moved closer, wary as to what the other was about to try to do.

Federico moved closer still and pulled Ezio into a hug, prompting the younger Auditore to sob a little, though he didn't struggle against the other's touch, much as part of him wanted to. Federico meant the embrace in an entirely different way than what he wanted and this was going to drive him crazy in ways that he had tried to flee from before. Ezio didn't know what he wanted to do with his hands and he could feel his body trembling treacherously in his older brother's tight, warm hug. he tried to speak, but he couldn't manage a single sound, much to his frustration.

"I did not realize what some of the looks you sent me, when we were younger until after you left, and I ... Â reflected on what they might have meant." Federico spoke, voice low and warm, even as he continued to hold on tightly to is younger brother, quite clearly not letting Ezio escape. He was well aware that his younger brother was stronger than he was, but Federico was also certain that Ezio wouldn't try to hurt him in his attempt to try to flee from this conversation. "... Feel free to correct me if I am wrong but... You had a bit of a crush on me, when we were younger? And from the way that you're reacting now - I can feel you tensing and I can see you blushing - your neck is starting to turn red the way it does when you're flustered, fratello."

Ezio thought that he might try to lie to the other - that Federico had misread his looks entirely, Â but what came tumbling out of his mouth was the truth "I... I still do have a crush on you - I thought it had gone away since we had been apart for so long but... Si.. I do love you - and in ways a sibling should not love one of their other siblings.. but we... We are soulmates which... Which is even more confusing." He was shaking and he was glad that he was wearing a mask - he could feel tears prickle in his eyes - which were squeezed tight as he held onto his older brother with as much of his strength as he dared - not wanting to force the air out of Federico's lungs.

"And I love you, Ezio. We have a week to figure out what sort of relationship we would like to begin to have but... If I may be allowed to be this bold..." Federico hesitated briefly and Ezio looked at the other curiously, lifting his head from where he had buried it into one of the other's shoulders. He was about to ask what the other had in mind, when Federico shifted his mask up slightly, before shifting his own and pressing a kiss to his lips. A startled sound - muffled by his older brother's lips - left Ezio. He froze up for a moment before eagerly kissing the other back.

Once they parted for air, the younger man shifted his mask back as he thought he heard approaching footsteps and he managed out "I... That was... Wow..." He was about to ask for another kiss, when several people came wandering down the garden path, and the two of them shifted apart from one another. After the people left, the two of them quietly made plans for meeting up again before the two of them went their separate ways, and Ezio wandered up to his room, part of him knowing that he should check on his friends but... A little to stunned to try to do so at the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

Connor had a wonderful week with Edward- he was careful to check in with both Ezio and Desmond - as he had noted that both of them had been interacting primarily with the two people who they had been sat by as well, but both of them reassured him that they were interacting with those two because they had found that they were their soulmates - and that their reactions to the two men had been surprised, as neither of them had really thought that they'd ever actually  _ find _ their soulmate. As Connor understood that sentiment well enough - he hadn't expected to find his soulmate either, he accepted their explanations as that did make sense.

Edward was charming, Â devastatingly intelligent and had a sense of humor that appealed to the young Vet quite a bit. While he knew that they had only begun to get to know one another, Connor hoped Â that they would be able to continue to get to know one another after the week ended - which would be tomorrow. Saturday was the final day of the soulmate meeting party, as the organizers wanted to give everyone a day to travel back before they had to go back to work. It was strange to think that only a week had passed - it had felt both longer and shorter, in a strange mix. His grandma had called him back a couple of days ago, and had wished him good luck. She had also told him the name of his father - one Haytham Kenway - as in the CEO of the multi-billion dollar company,  _ Abstergo _ ... Not that Kenway was aware that he existed. Connor... Wasn't sure how to deal with that information, so he was ignoring it in favor of trying to puzzle out how to ask Edward where the other lived, as Connor lived in the city, and Edward had mentioned that he had to fly to get to the hotel...

he shook himself a little and waited patiently with the picnic basket in hand - he was very much looking forwards to their date, and had gotten downstairs earlier than they had agreed, as he had been too excited to try to distract himself by going anywhere else. Haytham appeared a bit before they had agreed, and glanced around the room, heading straight for him and asking, sounding a bit concerned "I had thought I had come down here early - I do hope that you haven't been waiting all that long for me."

"No, you're down here early - it's just that I am too... I'm looking forwards to our date and I was already downstairs as I was working out - I thought it would be easier if I grabbed the picnic stuff and waited for you down here, after I was done, than go back up to my room." Connor responded, hoping that he hadn't put the other off.

Edward nodded, and moved closer to him, and Connor once again found himself wishing that he could see the other's face - as he had no idea if the other was smiling or irritated or what -but the other wrapped an arm around his waist, as they started to walk over to the elevators. Edward asked after a moment "You had mentioned yesterday that you had finished paying off your student loans last year... What did you go to school to become? Are you working in that field?"

"I am working in the field that I went to school for. I'm a veterinarian. I work at one of the clinics in this city, actually." Connor responded, feeling comfortable enough with Edward to reveal that. "What sort of business do you work for?" Haytham had mentioned that he was a corporate lawyer.

"I work for a pharmaceutical company. It can be... Dull at times, but they keep me busy. I tend to travel rather a lot for work... But I do come to this city regularly." Edward answered back. They chatted about nothing much as they went up to the greenhouse - having decided that the gardens would be full of people at this time of day, and both of them preferred having a bit more privacy.

They picked a spot far from the door of the greenhouse to spend their blanket. It was pleasantly warm, and the glass of the greenhouse tinted the sunset in the fascinating colors. The two of them talked while they ate, and Connor found himself leaning against Edward as the two of them counted stars. Sometimes they would lapse into companionable silence, but Connor didn't mind that in the least, as it was good to know that they didn't feel pressure to talk to one another all of the time.

Connor had brought along the micro game that he'd taken with him, as his grandma had told him that while dating someone - and the two of them were dating... At least for now... Before things got serious, it was important to see every side of that person. Including how competitive they got, or how well they took to someone explaining the rules of a game that they didn't know. Edward was fairly competitive, but the other was good natured about it. The older man also won and lost rounds of the game with grace. It was really starting to get late, and Connor was doing his best not to doze off a little. Edward was warm and easily snuggled into... It was tempting to just fall asleep next to his soulmate.

A quiet chuckle left Edward, who gently shook one of Connor's shoulders, murmuring "We should probably head back to our rooms. It is getting quite late, and while I could carry you back to your room, I suspect that your friends would tell me off for wearing you out so much."

"Mmm.... That's true... But you're comfy and the bed that I've been sleeping in for this week is so far away. Can't we stay here, Edward?" Connor grumbled, even as he got up as Edward had suggested. he yawned silently as they packed up the picnicking stuff and made their way through the greenhouse and to the door of the elevator.

Edward was silent until they reached the elevator, managing out "I... I'm glad that you trust me enough to fall asleep next to me..."

Connor responded with an earnest "Of course I trust you. You haven't given me a reason not to, and you're warm and wonderful."

Edward seemed stunned by that, and after a couple of moments, shifted closer to Connor, after they entered the elevator. "I... You are..." he seemed to be lost for words. Eventually, Edward responded with "I am going to show you my face and give you my name, if you wish."

Connor's eyes widened in surprise at the others offer, even as a big smile appeared on the younger manâ€™s face. "I would love to see and know who you are. I would be happy to tell and show you who I am as well, if you don't mind?"

Edwards mask came off as the other responded with "I would be delighted to know who you are, but please don't feel pressured to tell me, if you are uncomfortable with doing so. I am Haytham Edward Kenway, CEO of Abstergo Industries."

Oh  _ hell _ why did this have to be so? But... Since Haytham - and almost no one else - knew that they were father and son, if he kept quiet about their relation to one another, whatever the progression of their relationship would be, it wouldn't be complicated by this particular potential problem... Right? "I'm Connor RatonhnhakÃ©:ton Hill, and as I said before, I'm a veterinarian. I work and live here in the city." he was still reeling from the sock that his father was his soulmate, but the young man was determined to make the best of all of this.

Haytham was moving closer, and Connor's eyes widened in understanding just before the other gently pulled him into a hug, and the other pressed a loving kiss to his lips. Connor eagerly responded, kissing the older man back enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around Haythamâ€™s shoulders and pulling the other closer. The two of them continued to kiss until the elevator came to a stop and chimed its' arrival tune, startling the both of them apart from one another.

~

Ezio telling him that Federico had recognized the both of them had been  _ terrifying _ but the fact that Ezio's older brother had promised not to tell where they were, had helped allay his worries immensely. That had been the only unpleasant bump in what had turned out to be a truly  _ wonderful _ week. He had expected this week to be full of awkward first meetings and a lot of hiding in his room as Connor and Ezio conspired together to try to find someone who might suit him well enough.

Instead, he had spent the week with Bill - who Â did remind Desmond strongly of his father... But Bill wasn't nearly as unfairly demanding and  _ harsh _ as Desmond vividly remembered his father being. The older man's dry, sarcastic sense of humor, along with his awkward, but well meaning attempts to make sure that he was comfortable, was very endearing. There was also the fact that Bill did seem to prefer to stay at the edges of the larger, and more social events of the week-long soulmate meeting party-event thing, which was helpful in reassuring Desmond that the other wasn't irritating at not being more engaged those events than they had been. The two of them talked quite a bit -and though they clashed on a few things, they had been able to come to an agreement about whatever issue or topic they'd been arguing about so that the both of them were satisfied with the end of the argument.

Desmond was patiently waiting for Bill in the lobby, where the older man had asked him to come in... About ten minutes from now. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and the young man wondered just who Bill was. It was very clear to the young man that Bill was an Assassin - and of some rank, from how he had watched the other interact with his fellow Assassins. he had come early, as he was excited to see what Bill had in mind - and Connor wouldn't stop talking about how much he was looking forwards to the picnic date with the Templar - and wile Desmond was glad that Connor seemed to really like his soulmate... There was a good chance that Connor was on to be whisked off to wherever the Templar lived, and neither he nor Ezio had come up with a good way to start talking about what was really going on here. Federico had confirmed that this was one of several soulmate meeting parties that were populated with quite a few Templars and Assassins - with enough civilians to keep things from getting bloody - to see if there were enough soulmates between the two organizations to discourage the all out war that had apparently erupted a little over five years ago between the two ancient and secretive organizations.

Desmond didn't know if it would work long term, but he hoped that both sides would give peace an honest chance... To try to forget the centuries of blood that this miserable war of attrition had caused.

Bill called out from behind Desmond, startling the young man a little "There you are, Desmond... I'm a bit surprised that you're early, but not entirely..." The older man seemed pleased that Desmond had come down early "I've got everything set up - do you want to go now? Or would you like to wait for a bit?"

"I'd like to go now - I'm very curious as to what this surprise of yours is." Desmond answered honestly as he cheerfully followed the other, as Bill started to move elsewhere.

The two of them meandered through the hotel, and the two of them ended up in the gardens - and Bill brought him to the part of the gardens where there were quite a few well tended rosebushes. They stood together, admiring the roses for a bit, before Bill cleared his throat awkwardly and murmured quietly "I know who you are - and it seems that you do not have a solid guess as to who I am... I did make a concerted effort to change after you left, and if you want to leave and never see me again... I..." Bill sighed softly and shook his head "I understand, as I was harsher on you than I should have been.

Desmond tensed up a little and took a couple of steps back, his eyes widening as Bill slowly took off the mask, revealing himself to be his father "I... You... But... how... When?"

"When you first spoke to me, I realized who you were. I recognized your speaking patterns... Besides, one of my people found you two years ago, and they recorded your voice for me to hear. I left you alone as that's what you seemed to want. I did not send the invitations to you, and nor did I tell anyone to send you and your friends those messages. I've missed you dearly, son... And... The fact that you are my soulmate is... Surprising. But if you want to... To try to continue forwards with this new relationship, I would be more than happy."

Desmond blinked up at his father, trying to process everything that Bill had just said, slowly taking his own mask off and timidly looking up at the other doing his best not to just  _ flee _ as his father was being reasonable for once and... The other looked almost ... Vulnerable? "I... I would like to continue to pursue this new relationship with you... Would I have to return to the Brotherhood, if I wanted to continue this relationship with you?" Desmond realized that since Bill had revealed that he knew who he was, that the other had continued to refer to him by his preferred pronouns.

"No." Bill responded, voice firm and the other was looking at him directly, his body posture showing the same anxiety - but not even a hint of a lie.

There was a curious sort of warmth in Desmond's chest and he mumbled out "You... You called me  _ son _ as... In addition to soulmate..."

"Yes, you are my son - unless you preferred to be called something else? You gave your preferred pronouns as he and him, and I do try my best to remember such things. You are a handsome young man, Desmond. I only wish that I hadn't driven you away... For that I do truly apologize, though I know that the words are... Paltry, at best, given how I treated you." William responded, his voice shaking a little, as an expression of genuine  _ guilt _ appeared on his face.

"No... I...  _ Son _ is fine... Though I... I do have to admit that I don't... I don't want a platonic soulmate relationship with you... I... All of this is... It's more than a little overwhelming but this week has been really good. If I think that you're starting to get full of shit, I  _ will _ call you out on it." Desmond responded, still dazed, but a smile slowly appeared on his face as the warm feeling in his chest spread and intensified. He took a couple of steps towards the other and glared a little at the other. He wasn't going to be some wilting wallflower of a partner, and he wanted to make that  _ very _ clear.

Bill chuckled a little at that - but it wasn't a mocking laugh... Or at least, it didn't sound that way to Desmond. The Mentor Assassin responded after a moment "I would be surprised if you didn't. Soulmates are supposed to ground one another, after all." Bill shifted a bit closer to him, but seemed to be unsure as to whether or not Desmond wanted the other closer, and didn't want to intrude on the other's personal space.

Desmond moved closer to his father, still marveling at the fact that Bill accepted  _ all _ of him... That his father had changed for the better. He reached out to the older man and pulled him in for a hug. He hugged the other as tightly as he could, burying his face in one of the other's shoulders for a little while. William hugged him back, gingerly at first, as if the other still couldn't quite believe that Desmond was  _ really _ there, but the older Miles hugged him back more firmly after a couple of moments.

This gave Desmond the determination to go up onto his tiptoes and lightly kiss the other on the lips, humming softly, a small smile appearing on his face. They had a lot more to work out, but the young man was fairly sure that they would be able to begin those talks later. Bill responded back enthusiastically, tightening his hold on Desmond a little bit as he did so.

~

Reconnecting with his older brother Â over the week of the soulmate meeting event had been truly wonderful for Ezio. The fact that he didn't have to hide his crush on Federico was a breath of fresh air -and the fact that his older brother flirted with him  _ knowingly _ and  _ wanted him back _ in the same way that he wanted Federico was incredible in the most wonderful of ways. It was a lot of fun, going to the events with his older brother - and the two of them cheerfully participated in all of them.

Occasionally, one or both of them would be approached by another event-goer, and flirted with... But both of them would stick together and cheerfully inform that person that the two of them were soulmates. The two of them flirted and had dates outside of the scheduled events as well - which Ezio enjoyed just a bit more, as it meant that Federico really did enjoy the different path that their relationship was taking. Each of those had been wonderful and the two of them took delight in planning their unofficial dates - usually together, but Federico had told him that he had something planned for today. Ezio was incredibly curious as to what the other had planned - and the former Assassin had asked the staff if he could make some chocolates for his soulmate, and he'd been allowed to do so.

he'd made a couple dozen truffles for Federico in the flavors that the other enjoyed most. Ezio had been sure to carefully wrap up each truffle individually before placing them into a box, and after that he had wrapped it up. He waited for his beloved soulmate where the two of them had agreed to wait for one another. The two of them had talked about what they would do after the week was up. Federico was staying in the US for several months, as he was a fashion designer and had been contracted to work with a wealthy, but reclusive client. The two of them would travel together, and if Federico liked the way Ezio's boss did things, the two of them would collaborate on a new clothing line. In that time, Ezio would contact their family, so that they were aware that he wasn't currently hiding in the middle of nowhere any longer. He didn't Â pretend that things would be easy, but Ezio was sure that it would be worth it.

Federico waved him over and the younger man wandered over to the other, hiding the box of truffles behind his back as he did so. Ezio beamed at Federico before leaning in close, shifting his and his older brother's masks up before pressing a loving kiss to one of Federico's cheeks "Hello my love~. I'm ready for this mysterious that you have in store for me."

Federico smiled and kissed him back, humming a little as he readjusted his mask "This way, my darling~." The two of them made their way through the hotel to the smaller ballroom... Which was currently empty and pitch dark. "Surprise, Ezio." Federico murmured as he switched on the lights to reveal a small table, set for two people. There were several covered dishes and a pitcher of something - quite possibly wine, but Ezio wasn't going to assume, as the younger man knew that when they had been younger, that neither of them had much of a taste for the spirit. That had changed somewhat for Ezio as he had gotten older, but he still preferred milder and sweeter wines. There was also a bouquet of flowers in the center of the table.

Ezio stepped further into the room, the smile on his face widening a little as he flung his arms around Federico's shoulders and hugged him tightly, beaming at his beloved soulmate with utter delight as he murmured "This is wonderful my love, thank you so much!"

"I'm glad that you like it. I cooked the food myself... And I have learned how to cook a lot better than when we were younger. I can proudly say that I no longer burn water and mess up making salads." Federico revealed, hugging his younger brother for a couple of moments before the two of them made their way over to the table.

Ezio grinned at that as his tawny eyes sparkled with amusement "I wish I could have seen you learn. I'm sure that it was endlessly entertaining for our siblings."

"Hahaha... I only set one dish on fire accidentally while learning to cook... Although I will admit that I may have badly burned the bottom of several pans in my quest to learn how to cook outside of a microwave." Federico responded with a self-deprecating smile "given how my tutelage for being a Â fashion designer depended on proving to father that I would stick to it, despite any difficulties or problems that I would encounter. So I learned how to cook well."

"I'm glad that you've been able to do what you wanted... Although I am surprised that you've been able to... From what I remember, father and mother were both quite set on all of us being Assassins only." Ezio murmured, smiling a little as they sat down and he glanced over at the other, trying to read the other's reactions, trying to figure out what had changed.

"After you... After you left, and we couldn't find you, father asked what we wanted to do, if we wanted to be  _ just _ Assassins, or if we also wanted civilian jobs. Petruccio is a doctor, and Claudia is a wrestler. Both of them still follow The Creed and go on missions, but it isn't all that they do. Our other siblings have civilian jobs as well - most of them, anyways." Federico explained, referring to both their biological siblings, and their Brothers and Sisters around their age who lived in Monteriggioni.

"Oh, well I... I'm glad that me leaving had such a positive response." Ezio had occasionally worried that Â there had been a crackdown on the young Assassins - as well as a reduction in freedoms for the rest of their siblings, but Ezio had desperately wanted the freedom that the opportunity to run away with Desmond had presented him with, and the two of them had taken it. A sigh left his lips and he looked at the dish closest to him. It looked and smelled wonderful - and the taste was fantastic. Ezio made sure to tell Federico what he thought of the food, pleasantly surprised at how good a cook his older brother had become. The two of them chatted as they ate, and the young men enjoyed their dinner. Ezio gave Federico the box of handmade truffles, and the two of them had fun feeding them to one another.

Once they finished eating, Federico switched on a radio and music began to play. Federico pulled Ezio into a slow dance, humming softly along to the music. They held onto one another and slowly moved and swayed to the beat of the music for awhile. Eventually the two of them left the small ballroom and separated to go to their rooms - they needed to pack as they would be leaving early tomorrow... And Ezio needed to talk to his two roommates (and dear friends) about it - though the former Assassin suspected that the two of them would be leaving the city with their soulmates soon enough as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Connor had decided to talk to Ezio and Desmond - as he didn't know whether or not it would be a good idea to tell Haytham that there was a possibility that the two of them were related, or not to mention it, as he  _ really _ liked the older man, and there was a good chance that the two of them might decide that they wanted a non-platonic soulmate relationship - which would be vastly less likely to happen if both of them were aware that there was a possibility that the two of them were related to one another... But would they judge him? Connor was uncertain what he should do, and they tended to have good ideas when he was lost on what to do. It was late Friday evening, and he spotted Desmond looking starry-eyed and happy, and was glad that the date with the other's soulmate had gone well for the other.

Desmond spotted him and waved as he moved closer, glancing at him curiously and asking "Connor are you alright? You seem to be a little... Tense about something? Did the last date with your soulmate not go well?"

Connor shook his head and answered "No, it went great and I really enjoyed it... I just... It's... Come inside, and I'll explain."

Desmond nodded, looking puzzled and concerned, asking as soon as Connor closed the door "I can tell that whatever it is, it's bothering you a lot, what's wrong?" did the Templar ask or tell him something weird?

"So... You know that my grandma told me my father's name this week when we talked, right? And uhm... I found out my soulmate's name tonight, and he... The names... The names are the same, and from what my grandma and my soulmate said... I think... I think he's my father but I still  _ want _ him and I feel  _ awful _ because we could be related but he funny and wonderful and a  _ great _ kisser and... I don't know what to do." Connor confessed, babbling out his concerns to his friend and pacing around the room anxiously, unsure as to what to do and a little bit afraid to glance at the other, concerned that the other was judging him.

"My father is my soulmate too. We plan on having a non-platonic relationship. The worst thing that you could do is to hide this from your soulmate. Especially since you in particular, are an absolute  _ shit _ liar. go to him tonight, if you know where his room is." Desmond answered bluntly, patting his friend on one shoulder, voice calm and determined. "Honesty and openness is important in any relationship, as is communication.  _ Go _ . The hotel staff should tell you where he is, if you show them that he's your soulmate, if you don't know where he is."

Connor nodded, smiling a little at his friend, grateful that the other was able to help him focus on what was important. "Thank you. I do know which room is is, so I'll go see him. We just finished our date, so hopefully he's not asleep just yet."

"Good luck! And go get him." Desmond encouraged with a warm smile. He hoped that everything worked out in Connor's favor.

"Thanks... I'll probably need the luck." Connor responded as he got up and headed off to his soulmate's room - and as it was four floors up, he used the elevator. Desmond also informed him that it was likely that he would be leaving with his soulmate tomorrow - and that as Ezios soulmate was his older brother, that Ezio would also be leaving with Federico as well. A lot was changing in his life all at once, but the young man was determined to do his best to start things  _ right _ with Haytham.

~

He ran down the ninth floor, glad that all of the floors were laid out the same way, and he knocked on the door to Haytham's room, waiting with rising anxiety for the other to answer the door, hoping that the other hadn't gone to bed yet, as the young man worried that he might not have the courage to tell the other about this if they didn't talk about it immediately.

Connor heard some shuffling behind the door and after a moment Haytham opened the door, looking at him and frowning a little. The other was in a pair of pajama pants and nothing else and it was  _ incredibly _ distracting for a number of reasons. One of them being that the other was very well muscled - the other also had several scars, and it was difficult not to stare at the other's handsome chest. "... Connor?"

"M-may I come in? I... I want to talk to you about something, and I... I'd like it to be now as I... I'm not sure I'll have the courage to talk about it, if I give myself the time to think about it." The young man managed out, mostly not stuttering - though he couldn't help but wring his hands nervously.

"I... What is distressing you so much?" Haytham asked, looking him over and frowning a little, and not saying whether or not he'd let Connor in.

"I... Well I... My mother's name was... She usually went by Ziio and she was full Mohawk. I'm only half." Connor blurted out in a rush, wondering if Haytham even remembered her.

From the way Haytham's eyes widened in surprise and recognition after a couple of agonizingly silent moments and a soft "Oh..." left the other's lips, before he murmured "I... We should talk. Please, come in, Connor."

The younger man nodded and followed Haytham into the other's room. "I've known my father's name for two days and I... When you told me your name I... I wasn't sure how to respond." He could feel the urge to babble anxiously... Or worse, to stop talking  _ entirely _ which would be a very bad idea. "I am still beginning to love and care for you and I still  _ want _ you despite... Despite..." Connor found that he couldn't say it. It would become far too real.

"Despite the fact that the two of us might be related?" Haytham responded quietly, moving close to him and gently taking him over to the bed, gesturing for for the younger man to sit, sitting next to the young man.

Connor nodded, peeking at the other and not entirely sure how the older man was reacting. Though neither of them were wearing masks, the other's face was a neutral expression, and one that the young man found that he couldn't read. "Yes."

"I have something to confess as well - as soon as I knew your full name, I had one of my people start to do a background check on you - given my position, one of them /insisted/ that I should know your past, in order to be sure that I wasn't potentially surprised by anything... Your mother's name being one of the first things that was brought to my attention after I came to my room. I wasn't sure what to do with that information, but I am glad that you want to talk about this, as I do as well. You... Are you sure that you also wish to try to pursue a non-platonic soulmate relationship with me? I do want to pursue a non-platonic soulmate relationship with you, but I don't want to push you into something like that." Haytham responded earnestly, one hand coming up to gently brush a stray lock of hair out of Connor's eyes, tucking it behind an ear.

"I'm sure." The younger man responded, his heart soaring with relief and delight that the other wanted him back in the same way, despite their probable blood relation. He leaned in closer to Haytham and did his best not to shamelessly ogle the other's bare chest and mostly failing.

The older man smiled warmly at that, bright blue eyes full of love - and there was a good deal of amusement in Haythamâ€™s eyes... It seemed as though the other had realized that Connor was a bit distracted by his state of undress. "I am glad to hear that, though I can tell that you're a bit distracted... I thought about putting on a shirt, but as you were at the door, I didn't bother to do so."

Connor blushed darkly and murmured "Both of my roommates are going to be leaving the city with their soulmates and I... I would have to arrange things with my work, but I wouldn't mind moving wherever would be easier for you."

"One of Abstergo's headquarters is in this city, so you wouldn't have to move that far - I do have an apartment, though that feels a little... Abrupt for me, as we have barely met one another..." Haytham remarked lightly "But I have very much enjoyed being able to spend so much time with you - I do have plenty of vacation time saved up - though you may not have as much time as well."

Connor hummed a little before responded cheerfully "I do have a couple of weeks of time off saved up - I'll be sure to ask for it, though it may take a little bit of arranging to get all of it off at the same time, if that's what you're talking about."

Haytham nodded and the two of them arranged several dates, and Connor was very much looking forwards to their plans.

~

Desmond and Bill talked for a while, after the two of them kissed. After a while, the two of them had decided that it would be best if the two of them went on a road trip through the continental US - just wandering happily through the states, visiting national parks and exploring cities that they decided to wander through . The young man had wandered back to his room after a while, the lingering taste of his soulmates kiss on his lips, and a grin on his face that was probably more than a little silly.

Talking to Connor about what the other had just found out about himself had been a little bit jarring - though it was good to know that he and Ezio weren't the only ones who had soulmates who were family members... Though he couldn't imagine how deeply confusing such a thing would be for his friend, and he hoped that it would work out well for him. Connor seemed to take the fact that the both of them were leaving the city fairly well and Desmond hoped that they would be able to keep in contact with one another, despite the different paths that they were taking in life.

Desmond double checked that he had everything packed that he had brought to the hotel, before falling asleep, happy and content. He was woken up at three in the morning by a very concerned Ezio, who had knocked on the door insistently until Desmond opened it. "What... What's wrong?"

"Connor isn't in his room, and I haven't seen him tonight. I am worried that the piece of shit Templar that he is soulmates with kidnapped him." Ezio responded, sounding and looking very worried.

"Connor is fine - probably just talking to him. Connor found out that his soulmate and his father is the same person - not that he knew who his father really was until a couple of days ago, apparently. You're overreacting... go to sleep, Ezio. You're anxious about leaving with Federico rather than continuing to hide as we have been, everything will be fine. Connor told me that he'd say goodbye to us at the lobby tomorrow." Desmond soothed, still mostly asleep, but informing the other of everything he knew and suspected. Connor had texted him while he had been packing, telling him that he'd be talking with Haytham for a little while longer and planned on sleeping in the same room as Haytham, as it was getting very late.

"... Very well. But if he seems even a little bit upset or distressed, were going to kidnap him and take him far away from The Templar." Ezio responded, a determined, if mildly relieved expression on his face.

Desmond nodded - it was the plan that they'd had from the moment that they had found out that Connor had a Templar soulmate. "Yep. Everything will be fine, you'll see. Besides, Connor can take care of himself and itâ€™s not like he is easily pressured into doing things that he doesn't want to do."

Ezio sighed and nodded "You're right... I just... Gah. I'm nervous, as you've pointed out. and I just... I want this to go well, and I'm worried that it might not, or that something terrible will happen and this... This happiness that I feel will be taken from me."

"Everything will be fine, you'll see. Go to bed, Ezio. We both need to sleep as we're going to be travelling for quite a while - though at least I don't have to fly anywhere." Desmond responded playfully, grinning at the other - who had to fly halfway across the country with Federico, in order to help the other with this mysterious wealthy client of his - as well as to spend more time with his soulmate. Desmond was going to call his boss in the afternoon tomorrow and tell the other the mixed news - good news that he had found his soulmate - and the bad news that he was going to have to quit.

Ezio nodded and actually said "Everything will be fine, and I will be heading off to bed now. Sleep well, Desmond. Of the three of us, I wouldn't have suspected that  _ Connor _ would be the one sleeping with his soulmate for the first time."

"Ezio! You know that Connor's probably not... That they're  _ just _ sleeping. Though I bet that you're going to tease him about it." Desmond responded, lightly swatting his friend on one shoulder as the other wandered back to his own room, grinning mischievously.

~

Ezio waited impatiently in the lobby for Connor to come down - Desmond was just coming out of one of the elevators, chatting happily with Mentor Miles... And though he knew that it was possibly uncalled for of him, the young former Assassin could only imagine all of the terrible things that the Templar could have done to his sweet, civilian friend, and it was taking a surprising amount of self control to not try to find where the other was -with his second sight and the fact that he knew that Connor  _ had _ been on the ninth floor. If his friend was still in the hotel, he'd be able to find Connor before the Templar di-

"I can hear you thinking all the way over here What's got you so wound up, Ezio?" Federico asked as he came wandering over from the direction that the smaller restaurant was, two pastries in hand, silently handing one over.

"Connor has a Templar soulmate, and he spent most of last evening talking with the man in the other's room." Ezio grumbled, folding his arms over his chest and huffing a little. He did reluctantly take the pastry and nibbled on it a little, not really wanting to eat at the moment.

"Ah, so you are going into mother-hen mode. Connor - he was the tall, dark haired man who seemed to be more muscular than you are, yes? Does he wrestle for a living or something? He looked quite strong." Federico responded, voice light and gently teasing.

"I am not a mother hen! Connor is a Veterinarian, and one of the gentlest people I've ever met. He just... He just looks a bit intimidating to some people." Ezio responded, still frantically scanning the crowd of people who had just left the elevators, searching for his friend. He did spot the CEO of Abstergo industries in a finely tailored suit that probably cost several thousand dollars, smirking smugly at anyone who glanced his way, for some reason. Trailing a couple of steps behind him was Connor, who had the misfortune to share the same elevator with the man.

Connor spotted him after a moment and cheerfully walked over, lightly tugging Kenway over for some unfathomable reason. Desmond and Mentor Miles were coming from the other direction and all six of them were standing and staring at one another. It was a tense moment that almost everyone picked up on. Except for Connor, who simply beamed happily at both of his friends and murmured "I'm glad that we were able to see one another, before you two went off to go explore the country with your soulmates!"

Desmond smiles up at that, responded with a cheerful "I'm glad that we were able to talk before we had to go - then again, we need to grab our stuff from the apartment, so it's not that we're going to be saying goodbye forever... And we'll be sure to keep in contact with one another, right?"

Connor and Ezio both nodded at that, and the latter sighed a little before pulling both of his friends into a tight hug, murmuring "Stay safe, both of you. I will miss you dearly - though t does help that we all know how to contact one another in other ways..." He glanced at Connor and asked mischievously "How was your  _ sleep over _ with your soulmate last night, Connor?"

Connor blinked at the other, wondering what Ezio was trying to imply "Haytham and I talked for a while about a lot of things last night, and we just sort of... Fell asleep on one another. He was entirely too comfy to move when I woke up about an hour or so later, and as he didn't mind..."

Haytham finished with a small, amused smirk "I didn't mind falling asleep next to my soulmate, and as it was past two in the morning, I didn't want to chase him from my room, as that would have been terribly rude."

Connor beamed happily at that and was tempted to kiss Haytham, but he could tell that Ezio was very tempted to tease him about something, so he changed the subject "So - we'll meet up at the apartment at noon and split up the stuff that we all bought together at two?"

Ezio and Desmond both nodded, and the three pairs of soulmates wandered off, each to find a place to get something to eat, as all six of them were quite hungry. It was a warm, sunny day, and all six of them had hope and love in their hearts.


End file.
